A number of attempts have been made to provide a means for people to hide, disguise, or at least minimize the appearance of head hair loss. There are a number of approaches to this endeavor including wigs, hair growth therapies, surgical hair replacement, and hair pieces. Hair pieces may be attached: to the users existing hair, to the wearer's head with adhesives or friction fit elastic devices, or to a hat or other piece of wearing apparel for the head in such a way that the wearer disguises the loss of head hair. The present invention embodies an item of wearing apparel in which a hair piece is removably attached to a cap or other item of wearing apparel for the head.
Many existing items achieve the attachment of a hair piece to a hat or cap by providing fastening means along the lower periphery of the hat or cap. Examples of this approach are U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,319 to Spurs, U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,735, to Rice, U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,003 to Moen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,749 to Childs et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,242 to Dalton, U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,396 to Tomlinson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,636,962 to Frackowiak, U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,806 to Blanchard, U.S. Pat. No. 3,460,546 to Abbott, U.S. Pat. No. 2,889,557 to Blair, U.S. Pat. No. 2,651,310 to Selson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,574,558 to Graber et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 2,567,119 to Naidor.
Another approach attaches a hair piece to the exterior of the hat or cap and disguises the attachment with ornamentation. Examples of this class are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,239,705, and 5,170,509 to Leopold.
A third approach attaches the hair piece at the upper periphery of the hat or cap as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,292 to Izzo and U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,536 to Shaw et al.
The present invention provides an attachment means located sufficiently distant from the periphery of the hat or cap and interior thereto permitting a concealed and gradual transition from the periphery of the cap or hat to the attachment means. The concealed and gradual transition permits a gradual taper from the thickness of the hair piece at the periphery of the cap or hat to a minimal thickness at the attachment means. This taper of the hair piece provides a more natural appearance for the wearer.